Bone Cold
by undergrumpcast
Summary: A blizzard is about to hit Snowdin. Residents are taking shelter… Except for one lone skeleton.
1. Cold Shoulder

The quaint town of Snowdin looked deserted. The usual hustle and bustle was gone, leaving only the fresh, undisturbed snow and the cold wind as its citizens. If a newcomer was to come along, they'd think it was a ghost town if it weren't for the glow of a warm fire in every home.

The reason for this strange absence was a storm. Earlier that day, the MTT Weather Station had predicted that a massive blizzard would arrive in the evening, and that all monsters should take shelter before 7:00 pm. So, the ever obedient homebodies of Snowdin were glad to hide away as the snowfall continuously quickened and thickened and piled against their doors.

But despite the warning, Sans was outside.

The skeleton slowly walked down the main street of the town, away from his house. The snow crunched underneath his slippers, and the gathered on his old shoulders. The tranquility of the quiet town soothed Sans's nerves.

He was worried. His little brother, Papyrus, had been acting strange ever since he got home from his training session with Undyne. His feet dragged across the wooden floor, his usually straight posture curled into a slump. When Sans had tried to cheer him up by making a stupid pun about the weather, Papyrus had no reaction. He just trudged into the kitchen to make dinner.

"What's the point of training if a human never shows up?" the tall skeleton had said as Sans hesitantly sidestepped into the kitchen, which was beginning to fill with the smell of rotten eggs.

"cmon bro, you gotta stay hopeful. what if a human shows up tomorrow and you're not determined enough to fight them?" Sans encouraged, trying not to cough from the fumes emanating off of Papyrus's "spaghetti."

"I'm not strong enough to capture a human anyway."

Sans hadn't known what to say. For a few moments he just stood there, trying to come up with a home or a smart comment, anything that would possibly make his brother smile. All he could manage was "that looks _pastatively spaghettacular_."

Papyrus stayed focused on his cooking. "You don't have to lie about it. Just go ahead and go to Grillby's, I know you'll just make an excuse to leave anyway."

And that's how Sans ended up walking down the deserted street, breath puffing out in clouds of white. For once, he didn't know how to cheer his brother up. And that scared him.

His mind was racing as he slowly walked, wondering what had happened to make Papyrus feel so hopeless. Sans knew that his bro had been feeling down recently, but it had never altered Papyrus's personality like that. It was like he was a completely different monster. Maybe something happened with Undyne? She was pretty harsh, and the clumsy skeleton wasn't known for his prowess in battle.

Nah. Undyne wouldn't break someone's spirit like that. Sans shook his head, completely stumped. A gust of wind rattled his bones, and he zipped his jacket up. He technically couldn't feel the cold, but the low temperature made him feel stiff and uncomfortable. At times he cursed Undyne for setting them up in this frozen wasteland.

The soft light of Grillby's spilled onto the sparkling snow ahead, and a small feeling of relief washed over the short skeleton. That relief was quickly replaced with guilt as he remembered what Papyrus had said. He couldn't let his brother be right and give up like that. So, a bit begrudgingly, Sans bypassed the bright pub.

The reason he often fled to Grillby's was not just because his brother's cooking was terrible. In the small restaurant (which was always a delightfully warm contrast to the frigid weather outside) Sans felt like he really…belonged. Everyone knew him and he knew them, and they could drink and eat and talk without a care in the world. Sans could take his mind off of the worry for Papyrus that plagued him endlessly.

He had been meaning to take his little brother to Grillby's but had never gotten the chance. Papyrus was so swarmed with patrolling and training and cooking that he didn't care about meeting the monsters in this town, no matter how nice or friendly they were.

Everyone always asked about Papyrus. About why he never socialized, why he was so obsessed with humans, why he loved pasta so much. To every question Sans had the same answer: "i don't know. that's just how he is, and i'm proud to be his big brother."

Eventually the short skeleton reached the town limits, passing the "Welcome to Snowdin" sign and heading off into the patrolling area. Surprisingly, Papyrus hadn't reset his puzzles, so it didn't take Sans very long to reach the forest. He vaguely registered that the snow was starting to fall much faster than before, and flipped his hood up. A small voice in his head reminded him of the oncoming storm, but he kept walking.

The large door at the end of the forest was always locked. Many times, Sans had tried to open it and see what was on the other side, but it was a lost cause. He just had to settle with sitting against it. He did so slowly, letting out a sigh and watching as snow fell in front of him, already starting to cover the footprints he just made.

"cold outside tonight," he said softly, hoping that someone was there on the other side of the door.

"Yes. I can feel the cold air through the cracks," a gentle voice said a few moments later.

"wanna come out and walk in the snow?" Sans knew he was pulling at straws. There was _snow way_ the old lady would open the door. He'd already asked several times before.

A light chuckle came through the door. "I am afraid that is not possible. I am sorry."

Sans huffed out another sigh. "yeah. figured as much." There was a moment of silence before, "knock knock."

"…Who is there?"

She was hesitant. Sans frowned. "tank."

"Tank…who?"

"you're welcome!" the skeleton grinned proudly at his joke, but it faded as the lady behind the door laughed, half-hearted and quiet. She didn't sound like she normally did. Something was off. Concerned, Sans decided to take action. "hey, uh… what's up? you seem kinda… down tonight."

There was a long pause. Sans almost thought she had left, but right as he was about to speak, she answered in a sad, shaking voice.

"If… If a human ever comes through his door… could you please, please promise me something?" She paused a beat, letting out a wavering breath. "Watch over them and protect them… will you not?"

Sans was taken aback. She hasn't ever asked him to… _do_ anything before. Well, except for asking him to come back and talk with her, but… Not anything like this.

Now, usually Sans didn't make promises. He wasn't the type to commit to anything, (he was surprised Undyne hadn't fired him for slacking off) and the thought of having to sent shudders crawling down his spine. But this lady… she was something special. She loved his jokes. She was pretty much always there when he needed to just escape for a while. She had unknowingly done so much for him, and he hadn't ever thanked her for it.

It was about time that he did something for her instead.

After a great pause, Sans breathed out. "alright lady." He swallowed thickly. "i promise."

"Oh, thank you so much! I knew I could trust you!" The lady sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "I would hug you if I could, young man. Thank you."

The sweet words made a glowing blush spread across Sans's cheekbones, and he hoped that the light didn't seep through the cracks in the door. He still felt very unsure and wary about making such a big commitment, but… What did he really have to lose? It's not like a human would be coming down here anytime soon. He couldn't help but agree with Papyrus. What was the point of making promises if a human never showed up?

A harsh gust of wind threw Sans forward, causing his skull to bump straight into the door. He slammed against it painfully, letting out a not-so-quiet grunt.

"Are you okay?"

Sans got up from the ground slowly, shaking the snow off of his body. "yeah. the wind is just really strong tonight." In the short amount of time that he'd been talking with the lady behind the door, the storm had started without him noticing. He could barely see the path back to Snowdin through the fast-falling snow. "maybe i should head home. storm's starting to pick up."

The lady spoke with a certain heaviness in her voice now, laced with concern. "I suppose that would be for the best. Have a safe journey home. Do not stray off the path."


	2. In from the Cold

**Author's note: Hey! Hope you enjoy this chapter. Just to let you know, the next chapter wont be uploaded as quickly as this one, as it is not written yet. It should be soon though, so be on the lookout! Thanks for reading :)**

The house was freezing. That was the first thing that Papyrus noticed when he woke up. His bones felt like heavy stone, the cold seeping in and taking root. Even the soft blankets covering the skeleton were cold. He slowly sat up, focusing his eyes in the dim light. Nothing seemed amiss besides the abnormally low temperature, but there was something bothering him, something _off_ that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Groggily, the skeleton pulled himself out of his racecar bed, joints stiff from being still throughout the night. Papyrus trudged to his bedroom door, popping his neck. Curse being made out of bones.. He wondered what humans were made of?

Humans. That word made him deflate as he replaced his slippers with boots and donned his scarf and gloves, having slept in the rest of his usual outfit. Humans were his sole motivation, and yet he didn't even know what they were made of. Papyrus knew what they looked like for the most part, he'd gotten that part ingrained into his mind by Undyne, but he didn't know what they had on the inside. He'd heard that when they ate food, it went all the way through them. That sounded disgusting. Obviously they didn't have magic, so he and the Royal Guard (and the rest of the monsters, really) were at an advantage. His magic wasn't that strong, but… he was working on it.

Papyrus walked down the hallway, making sure to puff out his chest. Every morning he had to wake his lazy-bones brother up, and every morning he did the same thing: triumphantly barge into Sans's room, yell at him to wake up, wait for a minute, then actually pick him up out of bed and pour water on his skull. That was usually effective, although a few times Sans was still asleep even after the cold liquid was dumped on him. But that had only happened twice, so the likeliness of it occurring was slim.

The tall skeleton swung open the door at the end of the hall, stomping into his brother's messy room. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE COME TO WAKE YOU U-"

Papyrus cut himself off. The bed, where he usually found the sleeping Sans, was empty. Crumpled blankets and tangled sheets were the only things on the mattress. His gaze swept the room, wondering if Sans had fallen asleep elsewhere, but there was no sign of his big brother. He even checked the closet, which was packed with junk. No skeletons in Sans's closet either, besides Papyrus himself.

"Sans…?" Papyrus called out hesitantly, mind automatically assuming he had already gotten up, even though the thought was absurd. He made his way throughout the house, flicking on light switches and repeating his call, tone growing more worried and scared every time he went unanswered. The house seemed so empty now, so giant and cold and deserted. Without his brother, Papyrus felt unimaginably alone.

When he opened the front door, his spirits dropped even more. The snow had piled up against the house, and it came up to his knees. That would've come up to at least Sans's waist. Worry made it hard for Papyrus to walk. His bones rattled and he decided to sit down for a minute and try to calm down.

The previous day had been hard. Papyrus had been especially unsatisfactory according to Undyne, and even though she encouraged him he still was disappointed in himself. He mistakenly let it affect him majorly, and when Sans had tried to cheer him up Papyrus shot him down. He basically kicked his own brother out of the house. Into a storm.

Sitting down didn't help after all.

Even though the snow was high, Papyrus still decided to go outside. He was desperate to find some kind of sign that his big brother was okay, no matter what he had to do.

Citizens of Snowdin were out and about, their physical adaptations giving them advantages in the thick snow. A few of them stared, like always, as Papyrus awkwardly and anxiously made his way down the street, set on the only building in town that Sans visited.

The snow around Grillby's was melted, probably due to the fact that Grillbz himself was literally made out of fire and everything near him was at least somewhat warm. Immediately after Papyrus opened the door to the small pub, warm air washed over him. Only a few monsters were inside, but the pub went dead silent when the patrons realized who had opened the door. All eyes were on Papyrus as he quickly went to the bar, crossing the distance in a few long strides.

Grillbz, who was polishing a glass as usual, paused for a moment when Papyrus slammed his hands onto the counter, but calmly continued his task a moment later. He wasn't easily threatened, and the stories he'd heard from Sans made Papyrus sound very non-threatening. He couldn't help but wonder why Papyrus was here without his brother's company. The skeleton seemed extremely agitated about something. Maybe it had to do with Sans? Grillbz didn't know and he wasn't about to prod, as Papyrus probably just wanted a distraction.

"DID MY BROTHER COME HERE LAST NIGHT? I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DEMAND TO KNOW!"

Or maybe not.

The monsters flinched at the sheer volume of the tall skeleton's voice, eyes widening and bodies retreating into themselves. They'd heard about Papyrus and how enthusiastic he could be, but Sans's stories couldn't do his brother justice.

Grillbz calmly shook his head, placing the glass and cleaning rag down on the bar. He focused all attention on Papyrus, now a bit concerned. The younger skeleton brother sagged into himself, almost collapsing onto the bar stool. His face couldn't show emotion too well, but Grillbz could tell he was very distressed. Using the most comforting voice he could muster, Grillbz crackled out, " _What happened to Sans?"_

Papyrus put his bony fingers over his eye sockets, shaking his head solemnly. "I don't know. He left last night and now I can't find him." He dropped the "Great Papyrus" act. Guilt had laced through him and he couldn't pretend to be commanding and brave anymore. He was scared. He didn't know what to do. "I thought he would've come here, but…"

All eyes were on the hopeless skeleton, and Grillbz gave them all a look that said " _go back to eating, don't embarrass him,"_ and the quiet chatter started back up. The flame monster huffed out a cloud of smoke. Sans was an idiot. Leaving home in the middle of a storm? And not even stopping by to say hello? If he had, Grillbz wouldn't have let him leave until the storm died down. He had to stay positive, though, for his sake and Papyrus's. " _I'm sure he'll turn up soon, Papyrus. You know Sans, it's hard to tear him down."_

After a moment, Papyrus nodded. He got up from the barstool, the heavy weight of worry lifting slightly. "Thank you, Grillbz. The Great Papyrus will go search for Sans some more."

Papyrus still felt eyes on him as he left, even though the bar was no longer absorbed in his every action. He looked over his shoulder as he opened the door. Grillbz was staring fixedly at the glass he had been polishing, the flames of his head flickering dully. Sans's disappearance must've worried him too.

A certain calm had settled on the small town. Even though Papyrus was still quite nervous about his big brother's whereabouts, the atmosphere affected him, making his strides less anxious and his bony brow less furrowed. As he made his way through the exit of the town, an idea popped into his head. He frantically dug in his pockets for his cell phone, then eagerly dialed a number he'd memorized a long time ago.

"WHAT, PAPYRUS? IF YOU'RE WONDERING IF WE'RE STILL HAVING TRAINING TODAY, THE ANSWER IS YES. YOU'RE TALL ENOUGH TO WALK THROUGH SNOW. THE STORM DIDN'T EVEN HIT WATERFALL ANYWAY." Undyne paused, but not long enough to let Papyrus speak. "ACTUALLY, WHY DON'T YOU COME OVER HERE RIGHT NOW AND START EARLY?"

"I'm busy right now, Undyne-"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO PATROL TODAY, LEAVE THAT TO SANS. I'LL SEE YOU SOON. HURRY!"

"But Sans-" Papyrus stopped with a resigned sigh. She had already hung up.

Papyrus was glad that Undyne lived in Waterfall. It was a distance from Snowdin but at least she didn't live in the capital. Begrudgingly he turned around and, a bit slowly, started to make his way to Waterfall.

Along the way, his mind started to drift. Maybe Sans had simply gotten tired of him. Papyrus knew he was a burden to his brother; it wouldn't surprise him if Sans had decided to leave because he couldn't put up with it anymore. But then the more rational side of his thoughts kicked in and he realized that the possibility of that actually being the case was rather slim. Over the years Sans had been the best brother ever, always encouraging Papyrus and trying to make him smile (even when he didn't want to). He'd never once been angry at Papyrus, and even if he had he'd never shown it.

Maybe Sans had just gotten lost. The storm seemed pretty bad by the looks of things, and maybe it was falling down so thickly that he simply couldn't see where he was going. He'd undoubtedly get off track, and maybe he ran into some hostile creature and-

Papyrus didn't want to think about that.

It was late in the afternoon when Papyrus finally reached Undyne's house. In the Underground there wasn't really a "night" or "day," but everyone had watches so they were on the same twenty-four hour schedule.

Papyrus prepared to knock on the door, but before his bony knuckles could tap the wood, it swung open. Undyne stood there, fully dressed in armor except for her helmet, which was tucked under her arm. "COME IN, SKELE-NERD." She grabbed her friend's scarf and pulled him inside forcefully. "NOW, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT US TO-"

"Undyne," Papyrus interrupted, turning to face his instructor with the most serious expression he could muster. "Sans is missing."

The head of the Royal Guard waved him off. "HE'S PROBABLY ASLEEP SOMEWHERE."

"No, this is serious. He said he was going to go to Grillby's last night, but when I went there this morning Grillbz said he hadn't been there." Papyrus's eyes shifted back and forth, not making contact with Undyne.

She paused, eyebrows furrowing. Her voice grew quieter, more concerned. "He… lied to you?"

The skeleton shook his head, guilt overcoming him. "Well… N-not really. You see, I kind of… snapped at him when I got home last night. I told him to just go to Grillby's instead of eating my dinner, since he always does that anyway." He felt tears welling up in his eyes. "I think I made him mad and he went out in the storm and got lost and…"

Undyne watched as glowing orange tears started to flow down Papyrus's cheekbones. She didn't know what to make of the fact that Papyrus snapped at Sans. He was just too nice, she couldn't imagine him doing that. He _was_ pretty down in the dumps after their last training session, but usually he could just brush it off and keep his happy demeanor. She decided not to question it, but she really didn't know what to do for him in general. Reprimand him? Encourage him? Console him? She wasn't very good at this type of thing. Sure, she could calm Alphys when she was anxious, but Papyrus… He was always so happy and determined, and it was disheartening to see him like this. But he was her friend, and she had to do something.

"Uh, Papyrus? Uh, I'm sure Sans is fine. Just, er, just go home and rest for a little while, training is cancelled for today. Maybe he'll be there when you get back. Stay determined, for me, okay nerd?" She awkwardly patted him on the shoulder, toothy mouth breaking into a semi-comforting smile that was really more of a grimace.

Papyrus took in a trembling breath, air _whooshing_ through his bones and out. His skull nodded once, and he wiped away the tears on his face. "...Okay. A-HEM. THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL RETURN HOME AND AWAIT SANS'S RETURN. I WILL UPDATE YOU WHEN HE COMES BACK."

Undyne slapped him on the back, letting out a relieved laugh. "THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! NOW GET OUTTA HERE!"

With as much force as when she pulled him in, Undyne pushed Papyrus out, slamming the door behind him. Standing up with a groan, the skeleton remembered a shortcut to Snowdin Sans told him about, which was conveniently right across from Undyne's house. He walked down the southern path, around the pond, and continued south until he reached the river, a cloaked figure in a boat waiting for him.

The River Person turned their cloaked head toward Papyrus. "Tra la la. Hello, tall bone brother. Would you like to join me for a ride on the river?"

Papyrus hesitantly nodded, stepping into the boat and sitting behind the River Person. They happily faced him and asked in a lilting voice, "Where would you like to go?"

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS NEEDS TO RETURN TO SNOWDIN, PLEASE."

The River Person bowed their head and turned away. Slowly, the boat floated forward. Papyrus drummed his fingertips on his kneecaps, feeling a bit cramped. All was quiet save for the gentle rushing sound of the river. He wondered for a moment if this was a shortcut after all, or if Sans was just lying when he said so.

Suddenly, the River Person broke the silence. "Tra la la. Behold the giant forest door! All you are searching for can be found!"

Papyrus went slack-jaw. "WHAT?"

The cloaked figure said nothing.

A quick set of realizations crossed Papyrus's mind. The giant forest door. That was the door in Snowdin Forest, wasn't it? Didn't Sans patrol there? Maybe the River Person somehow knew Sans was there! Excitement filled the tall skeleton as the boat reached the snowy shore of what was most definitely Snowdin. Before the boat even stopped, Papyrus jumped out and onto the dock, waved goodbye to the cloaked figure, and ran away.

His legs hadn't moved this fast in years. Monsters shouted in protest as he ran between them on Main Street, and soon enough he was in patrolling area. Doggo growled and barked as he sprinted past, almost too fast for the guard to register him.

After what seemed like an hour to Papyrus but in reality was only five minutes, he reached Snowdin Forest. The blizzard seemed to have hit here the worst. The snow was well past his knees now, and with a new spike of worry he increased his speed. The large wooden door came into sight, and papyrus stopped. Steeling his nerves, he took one step forward, then another, and another, until the door was only a few feet away. He looked around.

Nothing.

No, no, this had to be wrong. He desperately searched the surrounding area, checking behind trees and bushes, digging through the snow. In one bush he saw something and quickly pulled it out, tossing it away angrily when it turned out to be only a video camera. He found himself yelling his brother's name over and over again, his voice raw and loud and cracked. There was no sign of Sans. The River Person was wrong.

Papyrus fell to his knees in the snow, which he had made shallow due to his frantic burrowing. Hopelessness made his body shake, bones rattling slightly. His hands came up to cover his eyes, and he gave into the wave of wracking sobs that overcame him.

It felt like he was there in the freezing cold for days, just crying alone, only the trees and bushes and snow to hear him. And that stupid door. Eventually the tears ran out, left him curled up and shivering on the ground. He didn't want to get up.

Then the door opened.

Papyrus sat up quickly, then scrambled to his feet. Energy coursed through his bones as the great door swung further ajar. He waited for someone to step out, hoping it would be Sans, _praying_ it would be Sans.

It was not Sans.

A small creature stepped out instead, with brown fur covering its head, yellow tinted skin, and a striped sweater.

Papyrus froze. He knew what this creature was. He'd learned about them his whole life, he'd been trained on how to identify them. There was no doubt.

 **This was a human child.**


	3. Cold Comfort

Flakes fell lightly on the white ground, and an eerie silence had enveloped the snowy forest. Not even the wind made a sound as it whipped the red scarf that was tied around Papryus's neck. He stood frozen, staring at the unbelievable creature in front of him. As many thoughts raced through his skull as there were snowflakes on the ground. Many of them were _Oh my god a human,_ and _Where is Sans?!_ Suddenly those two thoughts connected and something vile, something horrible rose up inside of him. He could feel his soul ignite in his ribcage, and a dull orange light washed over the human's face. **Determination** coursed through Papyrus's bones.

The stretching silence was broken by the soft _kerchunk_ as the great wooden door was pushed closed gently by a human hand, which shook as it swung back to the human's side. They looked up at the towering skeleton with fear in their eyes, and slowly, they reached into their pocket and withdrew a small toy knife. They held it defensively in front of their stomach with shaking hands.

Papyrus took a heavy step forward, panic rising at the sight of the knife. They did something to Sans. They must have. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BROTHER?"

The child seemed taken aback, lowering the knife for a moment before quickly bringing it back up. They shook their head, stumbling backwards until they were pressed up against the door. Their chest rose and fell tumultuously and they kept shaking their head, faster and faster.

Papyrus stopped moving forward. He faltered. The fear in the human's eyes- he knew that fear. The fear of the unknown. He had felt that only hours earlier, when he discovered Sans's empty room. This human had no idea what was going on. But Papyrus had a job to do.

As he backed up, the human seemed to relax, thinking that the skeleton wasn't going to attack. That wasn't the case. After a moment of false relief, they felt the familiar panic-inducing feeling of a battle, almost like their soul was trapped in a box. And then the bones shot out of the ground. Something deadly cold made the human's body heavy. They had a feeling that this was a different kind of fight.

The bones from the ground starting moving quickly towards the human, controlled by the small wave of Papyrus's hand. The child took a deep breath and jumped quickly, dodging every bone but the last, which grazed their left leg slightly and caused them to gasp in pain. The bones were freezing cold.

This went on for what seemed like hours, the child jumping and ducking and running around. After each round of attacks they refused to fight, no matter how furious and violent the attacks became.

After a particularly damaging round of bone attacks, the human fell to the ground, panting. Blood dripped from their nose onto the white snow, and their whole body ached from cuts, bruises, and the sheer amount of physical exertion they were put through. But still, they got back up, and still, they refused to fight.

Papyrus had had enough. He was shaking now, and the cause was unknown. Fear, exhaustion, anger, grief… guilt. It was all blending together. While he stood untouched, the child was hurting. And after all they'd been through, they still decided to spare him. Over and over.

The human sighed, bracing themself for more bones to rise up from the ground. But they didn't come. Papyrus simply stood, face toward the ground, scarf lifting slightly in the breeze. He said nothing.

Exercising extreme caution, the human stepped forward. When Papyrus still made no move to attack, they advanced again, this time not stopping until they were right in front of him. After a moment of stillness, they lifted a shaking hand and took a gentle hold of one of Papyrus's bony fingers.

The kind gesture made the skeleton break. His bones suddenly felt like rubber and he fell to his knees, the child still holding onto his finger. His chin dropped to his sternum, shoulders shaking. "I'm… I'm sorry."

With a small smile, the human wrapped their arms around Papyrus's ribcage, burying their face in the fabric of his shirt. The two stayed like this for a while, snow gently falling around them. The human began to shiver, and this small movement brought the skeleton back to reality. He gently moved the human away, then reached up to remove the scarf from his neck. Papyrus hesitated for a second, then handed it to the child with an attempt at a smile. They happily wrapped it around their neck.

"CAN YOU TALK?" Papyrus asked after a moment, watching the child intently. From what he remembered, humans could talk, but maybe this one couldn't.

The human's happy expression dropped slightly, and they shook their head. A few seconds later, though, they perked back up and kneeled down to write something in the snow with a small finger. _MY NAME'S FRISK!_ Then, they stood back up and pointed at Papyrus, cocking their head.

The skeleton was confused for a moment, but then nodded."Oh! A-HEM. I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, FUTURE MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD AND PROTECTOR OF SNOWDIN!" Papyrus stood and struck a heroic pose, and the scarf around Frisk's neck started flapping even though no wind was present.

Frisk giggled softly, and the skeleton looked at them in surprise, letting out a _NYEH!_ of his own. "HUMAN! YOU LAUGHED! HUMANS CAN LAUGH! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Said human started making signs with their hands, but sighed when they realized that Papyrus probably couldn't understand them. Instead they just tugged on his finger and pointed behind him.

Papyrus spun around, expecting something to be there, but there was nothing aside from the silent trees and snow. He realized then what the human wanted. "OH. YOU WISH TO WALK TO SNOWDIN? YOU MUST BE COLD. WE CAN GO TO MY PLACE AND TALK ABOUT THINGS OVER SOME SPAGHETTI!"

Before Frisk could do anything else, Papyrus had grabbed their hand and started striding forward, dragging them as they struggled to keep up. He was oblivious to the fact that the human couldn't walk nearly as fast as he could.

By the time the two reached Snowdin it was almost suppertime. Frisk clutched onto Papyrus's scarf as they passed by different monsters, some who ogled at the skeleton and some who ogled at the human. It was rather unnerving, and they tugged on Payrus's hand more than once to signal him to speed up.

Once they were safe inside the skeleton's house, Frisk felt more comfortable. Papyrus, on the other hand, seemed to be a bit unnerved. He didn't really like being here without Sans, especially with this human. They made themself comfortable on the couch, still shivering slightly.

Keeping one eye socket on the child on the couch, Papyrus went into the kitchen to make dinner. Not wanting to waste any time, he just grabbed some leftovers from the refrigerator, his spirits dropping slightly upon seeing the lone chip bag on Sans's side. He pushed the feeling away and heated up the spaghetti, spooned gobs of it onto two plates, then walked back to where Frisk was seated. They were occupied with one of Sans's joke books, turning pages in confusion as if there was something more complicated than knock-knock jokes in there.

The skeleton caught Frisk's attention with a soft "A-hem." They looked up and smiled sheepishly, gently placing the book in its original position. With a sweet, polite smile they made it clear that they were paying attention.

Papyrus handed them a piece of paper and a pencil, set the plate beside them, then sat on the floor across from them. "WHERE TO START, WHERE TO START…" he hummed, tapping his chin. "FRISK, DID YOU SEE MY BROTHER BEHIND THAT DOOR? HE'S A SKELETON LIKE ME, BUT VERY SHORT… PROBABLY ONLY A LITTLE TALLER THAN YOU. WEARS A BLUE JACKET WITH SHORTS?"

The human's smile dropped and they shook their head. _I'm sorry,_ they wrote on the paper.

Papyrus wasn't too surprised. From the way they'd reacted when he first asked about his brother in the forest, he wasn't expecting them to have known about Sans. But still, he could feel his soul grow dimmer. "ALRIGHT THEN… HOW DID YOU GET HERE, HUMAN?" It was a question he had been wanting to ask from the start. There was no way of getting out of the Underground, so how could there be a way of getting in? Was there an entrance behind the ominous door in Snowdin Forest?

Frisk quickly wrote down their answer and held it up to show Papyrus. _Fell down._

Papyrus tilted his head. "FELL DOWN? FROM THE SURFACE?"

The child nodded and went to write more, tongue poking out from between their tightened lips, eyebrows furrowed. _Was playing on a mountain and tripped, fell into a hole. Woke up here._

An interested "HEH," escaped from behind Papyrus's teeth, which were currently chewing pasta. "YOU MUST HAVE NOT BEEN PAYING ATTENTION! I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO BE MORE CAREFUL IN THE FUTURE!" He paused, looking at Frisk's spaghetti, which was just as he had left it. "YOU HAVEN'T TOUCHED YOUR SPAGHETTI."

Frisk hesitantly grabbed the plate and fork that Papyrus had set beside them earlier. They poked the food with the fork, then took a mouthful of the spaghetti. It wasn't the best they'd ever eaten, but it wasn't _too_ terrible. One bite was enough for them and they grabbed the paper and pencil once again. _Fall didn't hurt bad. Flower called Flowey was there._

After reading the last sentence, the skeleton almost spit his spaghetti out in excitement. "YOU MET FLOWEY? WOWIE! I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN A LONG TIME! WHAT DID HE SAY TO YOU?"

The human froze for a brief moment, recalling the traumatizing conversations they had had with the golden flower. Tears welled up in their eyes and they set the pencil down, instead burying their face in their hands. Flowey hadn't been the best monster to run into.

Papyrus was taken aback at the human's reaction. Sure, Flowey could be pessimistic and creepy, but he'd never brought Papyrus to tears… The skeleton didn't know how to handle this situation. Comforting them was the first solution that popped into his head, but he didn't know how to go about doing so. When Sans was distressed like this (which was a rarity, and was far worse than just crying) he just locked himself in his room, so Papyrus didn't have much experience with comforting.

Luckily he was saved from this predicament by a loud ringing coming from his pocket. Undyne was calling. Papyrus stood up and quietly moved to the kitchen, answering the phone. "HELLO, UNDYNE!"

"PAPYRUS YOU'RE A DIRTY TRAITOR!" Undyne roared, making Papyrus wince and pull the phone away from his skull.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" He looked over his shoulder at Frisk, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. He could feel beads of sweat starting to roll from the top of his skull, prickling anxiety creeping through him. Undyne must have found out about Frisk somehow.

There was a crackling chuckle from the other side of the call. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm on my way to your house and if that human isn't contained somehow once I get there… _y o u ' y."_

 _Click._

With rattling bones, Papyrus slowly walked into the living room. Frisk was no longer crying, holding up their paper with a tilted head. _What happened? Heard yelling._

The skeleton just stood in the middle of the room, head down. After a moment he spoke, voice quiet and wavering. "Frisk… Something dangerous is coming. You will not get hurt, I promise. I've made you my responsibility and I'll protect you. I lost my brother; I'm not losing you too."

The child, confused, bit their lip. They gestured for Papyrus to come closer, then wrote a message. _Follow my hands._

As the skeleton watched, Frisk did a small movement with their hands. they placed both in front of them palm-up, squeezed them into fists, and moved them in a sweeping motion between themself and Papyrus. He hesitantly repeated the movement, curious as to what this was. The human smiled and wrote something down.

 _It means "I trust you."_

Papyrus's mandible dropped slightly, and a soft orange light washed over Frisk. They repeated the gesture again and the skeleton thought he would cry, but he forced the tears to stay where they were. Instead he leaned forward, and hesitantly wrapped his arms around the small child.

The door burst open and Papyrus jumped up, the light from his soul diminishing almost completely. He stood tall and straight in the middle of the room, ready for action.

Undyne stepped in, dressed once again in full armor except for the helmet. Her face was twisted into a nasty snarl, and the look in her eyes made Papyrus want to run and hide. But despite the fear that struck him, he stayed. Frisk cowered on the couch, slowly reaching into their pocket and holding the handle of their toy knife just in case something bad happened.

The loud _THUMP-CLANG_ of Undyne's boots echoed through the otherwise silent house, and with every step closer Papyrus could feel more sweat rolling down his skull. Finally she stopped in front of him, huffing and puffing angrily. But when he thought she was going to yell at _him,_ she slowly turned to look at the child on the couch.

"You think… that you can seduce everyone with your lies, human. That everyone will be so enamored with your charm that we won't hurt you, that we won't take your soul." She laughed, a brash noise that made everyone in the room flinch. "That is not the case. I have worked too long, trained too hard to let our only opportunity to be free just- just slip out of my hands so easily, all in the name of 'friendship' with a creature that I'm afraid might kill us all when they get the chance." Undyne shook her head, hands clenching into tight fists.

"You've made it this far, human, but your journey ends here." She took a deep breath and a large, blue spear was summoned out of thin air. "Move aside, Papyrus. I need to do my job."

The skeleton watched in petrified fear, unable to move. He looked at Frisk, whose eyes were glimmering and pleading. He looked at Undyne, who was in an attack stance, ready to attack at any second. And he felt weak.

The head of the Royal Guard swung back to strike, but a loud voice interrupted her.

"W-Wait!"

Everyone's heads turned in surprise to the small yellow dinosaur who had been hovering just inside the door unnoticed throughout this exchange. Alphys stepped forward nervously, kind of regretting her interruption once seeing the look on Undyne's face. She gulped, and began speaking in a quiet voice. "U-Undyne, there really isn't a reason to fight this human… When th-they and Papyrus were heading here through Snowdin Forest, they d-didn't hurt anyone!"

Undyne sighed and rolled her eyes. "Of course you would sympathize with the human. That is all apart of their lie, don't you remember everything you've been taught about them?"

"What if that's all wrong?" Alphys's voice was getting stronger now, her confidence boosting as she finally looked Undyne in the eyes. "What if e-everything they've taught us about humans was just a way of manipulating us into hating them? Think about it, none of us have ever even _s-seen_ a human. How do we know all of that is true?"

The room was silent. Undyne's eyes were downcast, her spear now pointed towards the ground. So many things were rushing through her head. It was true, none of them had seen a human. They just took Asgore's word for truth, no questions asked. Why should they distrust him, he had always been truthful… or had he?

Papyrus spoke up this time, finally shaken out of his petrified state. "WHEN I FIRST MET THIS HUMAN - THEY HAVE A NAME BY THE WAY. IT'S FRISK. WHEN I FIRST MET FRISK I WAS TERRIFIED. I ATTACKED THEM. THEY WERE BROUGHT TO NEAR DEATH AND I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DO IT, TO CAPTURE THE FIRST HUMAN IN YEARS, THE KEY TO OUR FREEDOM. BUT…" he let out a sigh. "BUT I COULDN'T. NO MATTER WHAT ATTACKS I THREW AT THEM, THEY DIDN'T STRIKE BACK, NOT ONCE. THEY REFUSED TO FIGHT, SPARED ME EVERY SINGLE TIME. AND THAT MADE ME REALIZE THAT I DIDN'T NEED TO FIGHT THEM. I COULDN'T FIGHT THEM."

The spear in Undyne's grasp dematerialized as Papyrus spoke. She tore her gaze from the ground and instead looked at the human, who had got up from the couch and was carefully making their way towards her. All was silent as the human stopped right in front of her. A small smile spread across their face and they reached their arms out, wrapping them around her thighs. Undyne stopped breathing for a moment. The human was.. hugging her. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and let out a loud _sniff._

"I… I was wrong about you… Frisk…" Undyne hesitantly rested a webbed hand on the human's head, the corners of her mouth twitching up. "I suppose… Humans aren't bad after all?"

The realization of what she had said hit Undyne like freight train. Something welled up inside of her, filling her with rage. How could Asgore be lying to them? This was all stupid. She pushed away the human, sending them flying into the couch. The spear was back in her hand. Papyrus and Alphys stared at her in shock. "You really expect me to believe all that a crap? I'm staying loyal to my king. _Now let's end this!_ "

Before she could attack the human, Papyrus jumped in her way. The spear smashed against his clavicle, and he cried out in pain, but stood standing. "IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA TO ATTACK ME WHEN I HAVE FULL ACCESS TO EVERY ONE OF MY STRONGEST ATTACKS, UNDYNE."

Bones flew up out of the ground and surrounded Undyne like a prison, towering above her head and circling around her. She tried breaking them with her spear, but it just bounced off. She growled and started throwing herself against the bones, angry sobs escaping her mouth and tears escaping her eyes.

Papyrus kept the bone cage up, watching as his mentor was reduced to a crying ball on the floor. Once she had seemed to calm down, he sent the bones back into the cupboard under the sink where they belonged. Again, the house fell silent.

Alphys and Frisk moved at the same time, going to either side of Undyne. Alphys took hold of one of her friend's hands and Frisk hugged her side. Papyrus stood in the same place as before, eye sockets fixed on the ground.

"I'M SORRY, UNDYNE," he started, but was cut off by the wave of her hand.

"You're right, Papyrus… You're right…"

They all sat in another long silence, the only sounds being the occasional sniffle from Undyne.

Papyrus couldn't handle the silence for much longer. He shifted his weight a few times, then finally spoke up. "SO… IS THERE ANY OTHER REASON THAT YOU'RE HERE?"

Alphys perked up, a small gasp escaping her lungs. "O-Oh, right! I have some information about your brother, Papyrus."

The tall skeleton rushed forward and pulled the scientist up, grasping her shoulders and shaking her. "YOU KNOW WHERE MY BROTHER IS? TELL ME, PLEASE!"

"I w-will once you stop shaking!" She was let go of, and she pulled her phone out of her lab coat. "Luckily I have the security camera footage streamed to my phone and not just the lab, or we'd have to go there." Alphys tapped rapidly on her phone, then held the phone sideways and showed Papyrus the footage. "I was watching the feedback the other night and I saw something strange, so I recorded it."

It was a shot of a snowy forest, snow falling down hard. The edges of the recording were shrouded with leaves, and the large door in Snowdin Forest could be seen. _THIS MUST BE THAT CAMERA IN THE BUSH,_ Papyrus thought. Nothing of interest was happening, and Papyrus was about to speak up, but then he saw it.

Sans.

The small skeleton was trudging through the snow towards the door, obviously lost in his own thoughts. He plopped down on the ground and leaned against the door, letting out a sigh. The video picked up audio of him saying something, but it was garbled in the wind.

This went on for a while, the sound of Sans's wind-buffeted voice and him just sitting there. It was obvious that he was talking to someone behind the door. After a while he got up, peeking through the crack desperately. Then a particularly hard gust threw him forward, hitting his head against the door. He seemed fine, and a few moments later slowly backed away from the door, the hint of a blue blush glowing on his face.

Then something strange happened. As Sans turned to walk away from the door, a dark blur bolted in front of the camera. The skeleton was out of the shot now, but a yell of shock could be heard, along with several flashes of blue light. Then something extremely fast moved back across the snow. Alphys stopped the video.

Papyrus just stared at the phone in confusion. "WHAT… WHAT HAPPENED?"

Alphys sighed, scratching the back of her head with a claw. "I don't exactly know, but… I took a still of the video when that last thing moved past, and…" She pulled up a photo. It was of a blurry Sans, being dragged by his feet through the snow by a dark figure.

The younger skeleton brother turned away, the low-detailed image of Sans's distressed face ingrained into his mind. He didn't want to see that again. "ALPHYS… WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD HAVE DONE THIS TO HIM?"

"I-I don't know, Papyrus… Maybe another monster? I have no idea what could've moved that quickly, no matter what I can't get a good shot of it… I'm s-sorry."

Papyrus walked on shaking legs to sit on the couch. Undyne stood and went to sit beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes red-rimmed, she let out a sigh and opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it. After a minute she tried again. "Papyrus… I know Sans. He can handle himself pretty well, and whatever's got him won't be able to hurt him that easily. Alphys showed me all of that footage, including your meeting with Frisk, and… I have to say that I'm proud of you. Not only for standing up for Frisk, but also for your devotion to finding Sans…" She patted him on the back.

Frisk tapped Papyrus on the kneecap. He looked up at them and was met with his scarf. "THANK YOU, FRISK," he said gratefully, tying the red scarf around his neck once again. They signed "I trust you," then gave him a warm hug.

Lost in their thoughts, the four creatures didn't speak for some time. It was Undyne who broke the silence. "So what's the plan?"

"...PLAN?"

"Y'know, for finding your brother!" She stood, putting her hands on her hips. "We can't just sit here and brood, we have to find him!"

Alphys stood as well, claws clenched into fists. "I-I can send a notice out to all social media sites asking if anyone has seen him!"

Papyrus put a gloved hand up to his chin, bony brow furrowed. "I SUPPOSE WE NEED TO LOOK IN SNOWDIN FOREST FOR ANY TRACES THAT SANS OR HIS CAPTOR MIGHT HAVE LEFT… I LOOKED EARLIER BUT I WAS PRETTY HYSTERICAL, SO I MIGHT'VE MISSED SOMETHING."

It felt like they were forgetting something. Simultaneously, the three monsters looked down at the human child in their midst. Right.

Frisk realized what they were thinking and quickly searched for their paper. It was almost full, but it had room for one last note. _Don't worry for me. We need to find Sans. I will help._

"Then it's decided." Undyne clapped her hands together, grinning. "Alphys, you go back to your lab and do the announcement. Pap and Frisk and I will head to Snowdin Forest. Is there anything we need to search for specifically, Papyrus?"

Papyrus thought for a moment. "NOT THAT I KNOW OF… I WOULD LIKE TO DO SOMETHING THOUGH…"

"What's that?"

"I WANT TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT DOOR."


	4. Cold Front

A trail of golden petals wound through the small cave, spread several feet apart but identical in size and color. At the end of the trail was a flower, slowly inching forward, vines struggling to pull it along.

Flowey had seen better times. With only a few petals left surrounding his face, he knew his end was near. He had escaped with little health, despite the amount of power he had. He never thought anyone could hurt him. No one ever had until now.

Yet here he was, on the brink of death. Normally if he wanted to die he just reset, but for some reason, ever since they showed up, he couldn't. Their determination was too high. He made sure to make them pay for it, but… He didn't expect this.

As he pulled himself forward, one of his vines snapped. A huge wave of pain hit him and he almost yelled, feeling his HP go down again. He had only 3 points left. He was going to find whoever did this, and once he did he'd rip them limb from limb…

There was a voice coming from behind him. Flowery turned himself around slowly, wincing as his damaged vine wiggled frantically.

The semi-familiar figure of a tall skeleton could be seen in the distance, along with the smaller human and a very tall figure whom Flowey guessed was Undyne.

"FLOWEY!" he heard Papyrus shout, and an anger like no other boiled inside of the flower. With the last bit of strength he had, Flowey shot his vines out and wrapped them around Undyne and Papyrus, unable to ensnare Frisk due to the snapped vine.

"WHY DID YOU BRING THEM TO ME?!" Flowey roared, making the trembling human flinch. They just stood, shaking. "DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

Frisk shook their head rapidly, watching as another petal detached from Flowey's head and drifted down.

The enraged flower saw his petal falling and let out a sigh, releasing his grip on the two monsters. As soon as Undyne could move her arms, she summoned her spear and started an attack, yelling in fury. Papyrus stepped in front of her, stopping the spear with a bone from the ground.

"Just do it," Flowey grumbled. "Just kill me." He sank into the ground and popped up in between Papyrus and Undyne, face warped. "JUST KILL ME!"

The head of the Royal Guard lowered her spear, tempted to do as the flower wished, but then dropped it. Flowey moaned, drooping over. Small tears escaped his eyes.

"Who did this to you?" Undyne asked. They had just entered the forest door by force, and the first thing they saw was Flowey. No clues were left in Snowdon Forest. There was no trace of Sans nor his captor.

The flower let out a hoarse laugh. "I don't know. Just go away. Leave me to die in peace."

In the preceding silence, Frisk stepped forward and pulled a Cinnamon Bunny from their pocket, holding it out to Flowey. He knocked it away with a growl. Frisk just pulled another Cinnamon Bunny out. They scrunched their face up into an angry expression and forcefully thrusted the food in front of Flowey, making a small grunt.

He begrudgingly gulped it down, and a few of his wounds slowly started to fade. Two of his petals regrew.

Undyne frowned. "How can you not know who attacked you?"

"I just don't know," the flower snarled. "I was minding my own business and suddenly my HP was lowering quicker than ever before. I couldn't see anything; there was this light that almost blinded me." Flowey sighed. "When it was over, no one was there."

The cave was silent. Frisk offered Flowey another Cinnamon Bunny, and this time he took it. A few more petals grew back, and he was starting to look like his old self again. After a moment, he spoke. "What are you doing here, anyway? I stay here to get away from monsters like you."

"MY BROTHER IS MISSING, AND WE THOUGHT HE MAY HAVE COME HERE," Papyrus explained, puffing his chest out for no apparent reason. "HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?"

Flowey shook his head, a crooked smile stretching across his face. "Sans? No, I haven't seen Sans in a long time." There was something strange in his tone that put the skeleton on edge. Warning signs flared into his mind, alarms blaring that something was off.

Bones shot up from the ground, imprisoning the flower in a cage. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO SANS?"

A yelp escaped the golden flower, and he curled in on himself slightly. "Geez! I didn't do anything to your stupid brother, idiot! Let me go!"

Undyne rested a webbed hand on Papyrus's shoulder, a concerned look crossing her face. The skeleton was getting trigger-fingered, attacking anything that even mentioned seeing his brother. This wasn't like the usual, light-hearted Papyrus she had spent so many frustrating hours trying to train to be aggressive. He was stronger. Sans's disappearance had turned something on in his soul, and Undyne wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

The bones retreated back into the ground, freeing Flowey. He dragged himself a few feet away from the violent skeleton, a little confused. Papyrus had always been a pushover; why was he suddenly powerful? "Listen, I don't know where your brother is, and honestly I don't care. Now will you guys just leave me alone?"

The two monsters on either side of Frisk had no qualms, but the human stepped forward. They made a few signs, but once again realized that no one would understand. Instead they gestured for Flowey to come closer. From their pack they pulled a boot that they had found shortly after entering the Ruins. It looked big enough to hold Flowey, and they waved and pointed, trying to make him understand.

None of it made sense to Flowey, but Undyne caught on after a moment. "I think they want you to come with us. In the boot."

The child smiled up at Undyne and nodded, then tugged gently on one of Flowey's uninjured petals. He flinched away. "What makes you think that I want to hitch a ride with you losers in a boot?"

Frisk shrugged. They just wanted to help him, and maybe he'd help them too. The child tugged on Undyne's hand, making a pleading face as she looked down. The fish monster sighed. "Just get in the boot, flower."

Flowey grumbled as he did so, but made no argument. Once he was situated in the brown leather, he slumped. "I hate my life."

Happily, Frisk continued forward, holding the boot carefully. Papyrus and Undyne shared a suspicious look but followed, ready for action in case Flowey attacked. Fortunately he didn't, bobbing involuntarily with every step Frisk took.

The dark cave that Flowey was in stretched on for a while, then turned into a long purple corridor. The human and their companions walked through in silence until their path ended with another door, much like the forest door but smaller and etched with a symbol all of them were familiar with.

"The Royal symbol?" Undyne questioned softly, a little confused. "What's that doing here?" Then she realized that this was probably left from when the first monsters came through the Underground, living in the Ruins until they packed up and settled Snowdin, Waterfall, and so on.

Papyrus stepped forward and gently pushed the door. It swung open, revealing a small, oval-shaped room that led into another corridor.

Frisk led the way, ignoring the grumbles of the flower in the boot. No one spoke as they walked, an anxious silence falling around them. Each creature had thoughts keeping them occupied, feet moving of their own accord as their minds switched on autopilot.

There was a wooden staircase leading up to somewhere unknown to Papyrus and Undyne. Frisk and Flowey, however, knew exactly what was up there, but didn't speak up. Frisk just continued on, not waiting for Papyrus and Undyne, who both had paused in puzzlement.

The brightly-lit, comfy atmosphere of Home came as a relief to the human child. They let out a long, relaxed sigh, looking around at the cream-colored walls with fondness. Flowey shrank away from the light, grimacing. He hadn't been here in a while, and he remembered why.

Undyne stood in shock, mouth sightly agape. A perfectly kept-up house in the Ruins? She thought that no one other than smaller monsters with no homes lived here. Apparently not. This house looked very familiar though. She couldn't put her finger on it , but she'd seen this somewhere before…

The skeleton was in a similar state of shock, staring around in disbelief and wondering if this is where Sans always disappeared to beyond the forest door. He shook his head. Sans couldn't have kept a place clean like this.

After letting the monsters take in their surroundings, Frisk took a deep breath and stepped into the main room. The others followed slowly, and Flowey curled into himself even more. He hated this place; filled with mixed memories of thousands of timelines. Sometimes this house was a safe haven. Sometimes it was a crime scene. Other times… He didn't want to think about it.

No one was in the living room, but sounds could be heard from the kitchen. Fire crackling, metal clattering quietly.

"Is someone… cooking?" Undyne asked no one in particular, her voice lowered to a whisper.

A sweet smell filled the room. Frisk felt a shiver of panic go down their spine. They had broken a promise, and now they had to face the consequences.

Toriel stepped into the room with a pie tin in her arms. Upon seeing the human child and monsters in her house, the tin fell to the floor, snail pie splattering. The former queen crossed her arms, looking disappointed. "Child… I told you not to return."

Undyne and Papyrus's jaws dropped. They looked from Toriel to Frisk to each other in confusion.

Undyne dropped to her knees. "Q-Queen Dreemurr-"

"I no longer answer to that title. You should know that, young one." Toriel corrected softly, unable to resist the gentle smile that crossed her face. "Stand up. My name is Toriel. I know this human already; will you introduce yourself and your friends and tell me why Frisk brought you here?"

Undyne just opened and closed her mouth. Papyrus was in too much shock to speak. Flowey just didn't care.

Frisk moved their hands, introducing Undyne, Papyrus, and Flowey. They explained to Toriel that Papyrus's brother was missing and that they thought he might be in the Ruins, since he hung out by the door in Snowdin Forest regularly.

Toriel's gaze softened as she saw the story, and once Frisk's hands stopped moving she let out a sigh. "I do not know where your brother is. No one can enter through that door; it must've taken quite a bit of strength to break through, Undyne." She paused. "I have known Sans for a while. I never knew his name before now. I did not even know what he looks like and I still don't know. I only know his voice. It was a lonely voice, ever though he tried to cover it with wit. He practiced knock-knock jokes on the door, and once he knew I was on the other side he talked to me about his life, as well." Toriel looked at Papyrus with a sad smile. "Sans mentioned you many times, Papyrus. He loves you very much and is proud of you. Yet he is such a lonely monster. The last time I talked to him, the child was in my care and I was out of sorts. He comforted me and made a promise to protect them, and then he left. The storm sounded very harsh."

The tall skeleton looked intently at Toriel. "WE HAVE A VIDEO RECORDING OF SANS TALKING TO YOU FROM THE DOOR. ONCE HE LEFT, HE WAS PULLED AWAY BY SOMETHING VERY FAST. WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT'VE PULLED HIM THROUGH THE DOOR."

Toriel frowned. "I'm sorry. He didn't come through here through here or I would've sent him back." she remembered the ruined pie on the ground and let out a chuckle. "Before I send you away, would you help me clean this up? I'll make a new meal for you before you leave."

The group agreed, all except for Flowey. "I've had enough of this happy crap. Can't we just leave now?" he snarled, trying to squirm his way out of the boot.

Toriel crossed her arms again. "You must be so uncomfortable in that old boot! Stay here, I've got just the thing."

The flower groaned as she scurried into the kitchen, then reappeared with a flower pot. "Here, child. Put him in this, it might lift his bad mood. Come now, everyone. Let's tidy up!"

It didn't take long to clean the pie up, and soon everyone was in the kitchen, watching as Toriel cooked and told stories about Sans, her adventures in the Ruins, plus an abundance of snail facts.

The steaming casserole Toriel had created was excellent, at least to Undyne and Papyrus. Frisk wasn't a fan of snail so they just indulged on some candy that Toriel gave them. Flowey sulked silently in his flower pot, regretting his decision to go along on this stupid adventure.

A lull in the conversation at the table brought Papyrus's thoughts to his brother again. He sighed, placing his fork down on the table with a clink.

"What is troubling you?" Toriel questioned softly, putting a paw over the skeleton's phalanges.

"I WONDER WHERE SANS COULD POSSIBLY BE." His appetite vanished, replaced with worry that gnawed at his soul. Images of Sans flashed through his mind, cold and alone; injured and crying out for help that never came. If only there had been some clue, some remnant of whatever took him besides low-quality footage.

Toriel hummed. "He occaisionally mentioned someone named 'Grillbz' to me, is that of any significance? Sans seemed very fond of him," the former queen suggested, hooking her claws together and twiddling her thumbs.

Papyrus shook his head. "I CHECKED THERE AND GRILLBZ HASN'T SEEN HIM."

"What about his guard posts in Waterfall and Hotland?" Undyne asked. "He has little shortcuts between them, right?" Maybe he was taken there for some reason?"

The skeleton shrugged. "IT'S A LONG SHOT, BUT IT'S SOMETHING. LET'S GO!" He started to stand up, but Toriel stopped him.

"Do you young ones have any idea what time it is?" They just stared blankly at her. Toriel tsked. "You need to have a good night's rest before you go out again. There is a bed in the room down the hall, and a bigger bed in the other room, which can most likely fit two of you. I will sleep in my armchair."

"Are you sure, Toriel?" Undyne asked. "That's a very generous thing to do."

Toriel smiled warmly at the fish monster. "Yes, Undyne. You need your strength, and a peaceful rest is the best thing.

Papyrus's rest was everything but peaceful. Undyne was a sleep-talker, mumbling something about "destroying" and "war" every five minutes. Plus, the worry was still there. He laid rigid under the covers, mind reeling about how hurt and scared and alone his older brother must be. The thing that took him seemed pretty strong, and even though he knew Sans could hold his own in a fight, Papyrus was still concerned.

When he finally drifted off, it was only a short while before he was viciously jerked awake by a jarring nightmare. He curled into a ball, shaking, orange tears trickling from his eye sockets and onto the sheets. Undyne suddenly let out a loud "HYA!" and kicked out, catching Papyrus in the ribs and sending him sprawling off of the bed. He let out a strangled yelp as he landed on the floor, then curled up once again, deciding to stay down there until morning.

Toriel woke the group up one by one, Frisk excitedly following behind her. They'd hardly gotten any sleep due to the excitement from the coming adventure. They had stuffed as much candy as they could into their pack, almost to the point that they couldn't close it. They also affixed a small holder to the top of the pack that was perfect for carrying Flowey in case holding him became too tiring.

Undyne woke fresh and ready to go, only running a webbed hand through her hair before exclaiming "LET'S GET GOING!" She jumped out of bed without looking and almost crushed Papyrus, who was finally sleeping, curled into a tight ball on the floor.

He jerked up with a shout after Undyne landed in a heap beside him. Confused, he stared around at the monster. "IS IT MORNING ALREADY?"

"Yes, Papyrus. Get up and get ready. As soon as you finish breakfast I will accompany you to the door," Toriel explained, folding her arms and turning to leave with Frisk. "Come, my child. Let's go prepare breakfast." Frisk followed her happily, a bounce in their step.

Undyne and Papyrus didn't take too long to prepare for the day. Undyne did stretches and Papyrus gave himself a half-hearted pep-talk in the hallway mirror, and soon they were all eating in comfortable silence.

Frisk signed a question to Toriel. She smiled sadly, patting the human's head. "I'm sorry, child, but I will not be joining you on your journey. I must stay here and watch over the Ruins, in case another human happens to come along."

Once everyone was finished with their meal, Toriel announced that it was time to leave. The monsters (and human) made their way down to the long purple corridor, through Flowey's cave, and stopped in front of the large door exiting the Ruins.

"Here is where I must leave you, young ones," Toriel said softly. "I hope you find Sans soon. Bring him here once you do, I'd love to meet him."

Papyrus, with the hint of tears in his eyes, nodded and gave Toriel a salute. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL RETURN WITH SANS BEFORE YOU CAN SAY 'PASTA!'"

Undyne simply saluted as well and gave Toriel a wink. Flowey groaned. Frisk wrapped their arms around Toriel's legs, trembling with silent tears. 'Please come with us. I'm scared,' they signed with shaking hands.

"I'm very sorry, Frisk. I would come with you if I could, but I have a duty here. I cannot abandon my responsibilities."

Slowly, the former queen pushed the door open, the cold front spilling into the cave. The snow wasn't as high as before.

Papyrus took a step forward, boot sinking into the white powder that coated the forest ground. The other followed suit, silent except for Flowey, who was perched in Frisk's pack. "It's too cold in this wretched forest…"

As they walked in the snow, they all waved to Toriel, who waved back sadly. "Farewell, my children. Good luck on your journey. Bring Sans home!"

The door closed.


End file.
